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Best iBook G4 Prices

Dan Knight - 2014.01.01

G4 iBooks are a good option with prices starting below $100 including AirPort Extreme – well under half the cost of a refurbished 13″ MacBook. The biggest drawback to the iBook design is the tedious process involved in disassembling and reassembling it to upgrade the hard drive.

We recommend at least 512 MB of RAM with OS X, and that’s what Apple suggests for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger (which comes installed on most used G4 iBooks) as well. More RAM is better, and all of the G4 iBooks support 1 GB of RAM in addition to the 128, 256, or 512 MB on the motherboard.

Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard is supported on all 867 MHz and faster G4 iBooks with at least 512 MB of RAM and the ability to run the DVD-based installer. We recommend at least 768 MB of RAM for Leopard – and more if you can afford it.

The 12″ 800 MHz iBook G4 is the only G4 iBook officially “unsupported” for 10.5. You cannot run the Leopard installer from the original DVD without a firmware hack. You can install Leopard from a supported Mac, create a hacked install disc, or modify Open Firmware. See our article on Unsupported Leopard Installation for more details.

Used Macs usually have a 90 day warranty. Listings note RAM/hard drive size and whether AirPort Extreme (APX) is included or not. We strongly recommend adding a 256 MB or 512 MB module for better system performance. (For most users, adding 1 GB is probably excessive, but you can best determine your own needs, and prices are pretty reasonable.)

Be sure to factor in possible shipping costs (often included) and sales tax. Your best value depends on whether you need/want, a larger hard drive, more memory, etc.

We factor in ground shipping costs when selecting the best prices. Ground shipping charges vary by distance and carrier – the numbers we use are for shipping to Low End Mac headquarters in Michigan.

Best Prices

12″ 1.33 GHz Combo, $89, Beta Macs

14″ 1.07 GHz Combo, $179, UsedMac

14″ 1.2 GHz Combo, $185, UsedMac

14″ 1.33 GHz Combo, $189, UsedMac

14″ 1.42 GHz SD, $199, UsedMac

Recent RAM Prices

All G4 iBooks are compatible with PC2700 memory and have only one available RAM slot.

Mac OS Prices

Unless otherwise noted, there is no surcharge for credit card purchases. Vendors are listed in alphabetical order. Be sure to visit their sites for full details. iBooks are used unless otherwise noted.

Prices may be limited to quantity on hand. Not responsible for typos. Please email any corrections or additional sources with competitive prices to .

Buying through some of these links benefits Low End Mac. Buying at these prices benefits you.

* Apple never officially offered a 1.07 GHz iBook. However,the “1.0 GHz” iBooks report themselves as 1.07 GHz models. We suspect that Apple rounded the number down to an even 1.0 for marketing purposes. Benchmarks show the performance you would expect from a 1.07 GHz CPU, not 1.0 GHz. We list them on their profile pages using Apple’s nominal 1.0 GHz rating and list them here with their actual 1.07 GHz clock speed.

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2 thoughts on “Best iBook G4 Prices”

Hi!
Just found this site, but couldn’t be happier. I’ve been wondering for a while, what to do with my almost brand new, but vintage iBook.

I must have originally purchased it in the fall of 2002, because our first grandchild was born that summer, and my plan was to take it along on weekly babysitting visits with her in order to use it while she was sleeping. But as it turned out she hardly slept at all, and when she did, I was so eager to do my job perfectly, I rarely took my eyes of her long enough to learn my way around my newest computer.

Although I haven’t taken the time to check it out yet, I just measured the screen, which is 12″, which I ‘m guessing probably was the earliest model. I’m not sure, but believe the only additional software on it (aside from the basics that came preloaded) probably is Adobe PageMaker (and maybe Illustrator), since those have always been the products I’ve used most often on my desktop Macs dating back to the early 1980s.

In addition to the iBook itself . . . brand new users manual . . . (and maybe the original disks) I also have a sturdy,multi-compartment carry case by Targus (approx 14″ w x 12″ h x 6″ d with at least 5 zippered pockets to hold everything from the iBook itself to accessories and file folders. Also inside he case are an attachable shoulder strap, connector cables and a brand new podium pad with label still attached (made by Road Tools) which on second thought might be worth saving for the equally rarely used iPad mini I bought on a whim last summer.

Any thoughts or suggestions on what to do with these items would be welcome.

BTW, if this iBook sounds interesting to anyone who lives in or around Orange County, CA, I’m open to purchase offers and possibly personal pick-up. Best way to contact me is via my email. If it’s not listed above, just let me know.